The Long Way Home
by BleuBengal
Summary: The one where Derek and Stiles keep fighting like cats and dogs and the Sheriff has just about had enough of their crap. MPREG


Summary:** The one where Stiles and Derek keep fighting like cats and dogs and the Sheriff has had just about enough of their crap.**

Notes**: Secretly, I've been working on another Teen Wolf fic (not this one) which is crazy because as you may or may not know, I don't even watch the show. Therefore, this story has absolutely no accuracy or canon timeline, etc. I have watched a few episodes ( literally two episodes ) that I needed for my other stories, but I still haven't committed myself to watching from the beginning. Don't even ask me about "Counting Stars" because I'm still working on it. I can't finish my chaptered stories, but I can churn out these one shots like crazy. Go figure.**

* * *

John Stilinski had, had an extremely long day at work. One of their old cases and former resident of Beacon Hills had gotten locked up in Phoenix on federal charges and they were required to hand over all of his arrest records to the courts and lawyers. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem, but they had only recently gotten around to entering some of the old records into the new electronic system. Most of the files beyond the past five years or so were buried somewhere in the station basement; still catalogued under some outdated system from the 70's. He had to take three of his men off duty, including himself, to scour the file cabinets and boxes and find the right papers.

It was a huge pain in the ass.

Not to mention the fact that once they were effectively short staffed, every criminal in town decided to collectively crawl out from whatever rock they were hiding under and cause trouble. They had more arrests that day than they had in the past month and that was saying something.

He heard the commotion a few houses away before he actually pulled into his driveway. At first, he thought it was one of the neighborhood kids blasting their music because their parents worked late hours. But no. The noise only increased as he drove closer to home. He sent a little prayer up to the sky that those two weren't at it. Again.

Apparently he needed to make it to Sunday mass more often because the loud, "Go fuck yourself Derek!" and answering growl was enough to let him know that his prayers had gone unanswered and make him strongly consider banging his head against the steering wheel.

"Maybe I will. You won't do it so I might as well take my chances with my right hand!", Derek shot back.

The sheriff buried his head in his hands. Yup, there it was. One little sentence had given more information about his son's sex life than he ever wanted or needed to know.

A large part of him wanted to just turn the car right around and go sit at the diner gorging himself on greasy, fatty foods until the storm had blown over. Living at home had become a little bit like living in a war zone. All because of his darling son and his werewolf boyfriend.

* * *

A year and a half earlier, a shaky and nervous sixteen year old Stiles sat across from his father at the kitchen table and told him he was pregnant.

_"Pregnant? What the hell were you thinking? I didn't even know you were having sex!", John shouted._  
_"I'm almost 17. Of course I'm having sex. What kind of loser do you think I am?"_

_The sheriff gave him a pointed look that told him he didn't really want to know the answer to his question. Stiles deflated because maybe his dad did have a small, almost microscopic really, point. It wasn't like Lydia, or anyone else for that matter, had been banging down his front door and dropping their panties in front of him. Although...that would have been awesome. He still couldn't figure out how he had managed to pull Derek Hale of all people._

_"Who is it?", John asked breaking Stiles from his thoughts._  
_Stiles looked at his dad innocently. "Who is who?"_  
_"Stanislav.", the sheriff warned. "Who. is. the. other. father?", the sheriff gritted out through his teeth and Stiles cringed. His dad only ever used his given name when he was really, really pissed._

_"It's hard to say really. It depends on your definition of father because technically-", and John cut him off right there. Clearly he wasn't going to get a straight answer from Stiles. "Is it Scott?"_

_At his words, Stiles's gag reflex was involuntarily triggered. "No, just _no_. That's disgusting. I would never do..._that with Scott." He tried his best to scrub the horrible, horrible image of him and Scott having sex from his mind.

_"What about that Danny kid? I know he's been over here a few times."_  
_Apparently his father was going to keep going down the line of every guy he had ever seen Stiles talk to. "Dad, you do realize that Danny isn't the only gay kid in Beacon Hills right?"_  
_"I think that goes without saying Stiles.", he said glancing down at his son's midsection._

Of course the Sheriff was out for blood after finding out that the father of his future grandchild was none other than 24 year old, ex murder suspect, Derek Hale. He did what any other good father would do. He grabbed his gun and drove straight to the bastard's house.

After finding Derek living, more like squatting, in a dilapidated railroad depot, he reluctantly forced the young man into the car with no less than a few threats to his life and much needed body parts. He drove him back to the house and threw his stuff into the guest room, warning no one to talk to him for the rest of the night.

Apparently this simple request was too much for his ADHD having offspring to handle because not too long afterwards, he was ambushed at the kitchen table by Stiles who burst in with a sulky looking Derek in tow, blurting out that there was something else they needed to tell him. His first thought was, "Dear God, please don't let it be twins."

Stiles was a handful on a good day and because life was funny that way, the baby would probably turn out just like him. He loved Stiles like nothing else, but he didn't think there was any way he could handle three of him. Of course they could turn out to be more like Hale, but he wasn't much better in John's opinion. He barely spoke five words per day and Stiles spoke five words per second. They balanced each other out and the sheriff was horrified to find that he could see how they would end up together.

When he was first told that Derek was a werewolf, he didn't even bat an eyelash. He took it as one of Stiles's not so funny jokes and took another sip of his whiskey, rolling his eyes. And when he looked up and saw Derek "wolfed out", he downed the rest of the glass, walked straight to his car and drove to the hospital to check himself in for severe stress and hallucinations.

Two days, countless cartons of hospital jello and bad hospital television re-runs later, found him back home; ready to face the craziness of his expanding family. When his son launched himself into his father's arms for a hug and muttering apologies, John held him tight and told him it would all be okay. And when he saw Derek standing awkwardly off to the side, he pulled him into the hug too because God knows the kid needed one.

* * *

Ian Tyler Hale was born on a Sunday morning kicking and screaming into the hearts of everyone around him. He was a beautiful baby with Derek's dark features, Stiles's goofy smile, and oddly enough, the bluest of eyes.

The three, now four of them, had a routine going. It wasn't ideal by any means, but it worked. Stiles was finishing up his senior year at home online so he could watch Ian during the day and John had helped Derek get signed up for the police academy over in Tustin. Derek would leave about an hour or so before the Sheriff every morning in order to make it to training on time and return home later in the evening. According to his contacts, the werewolf who he now considered as his son in law, was doing very well. He was at the top of his class and John was proud of him for stepping up.

Stiles didn't know, but Derek was taking on a few odd jobs here and there so that he could save up enough to put a down payment the old, empty Meyer's house and propose. John was all on board with it. Stiles deserved a ring and all three of them deserved the chance at a family. John deserved some peace and quiet. He was really getting too old for this.

The more time went by, the more he noticed that Derek and Stiles's relationship was deteriorating. Gone were the days when would he come home and find Stiles asleep and drooling on Derek's chest as they watched tv on the couch or rolling on the floor making goofy faces with Ian during tummy time. They always seemed to be sniping at each other and the tension in the air was unbearable.

At first the disagreements were whispered, hushed and contained to their room so the Sheriff didn't think much of it. They were both young, they just had a baby, and well...life was hard. He couldn't even remember how many petty fights he and Stiles' mom had gotten into after he was born. The lack of sleep alone had him wanting to run away screaming every time he heard her voice take on that familiar sarcastic tone that he used to love so much.

The hushed disagreements had progressed into full on arguments and fights with Derek the Wolf in one corner and Stiles the Stilinki in the other. Stiles never did learn how to control his mouth as evidenced by the constant stream of word diarrhea coming out of it, but it amazed John how nasty his son could get. He couldn't figure out how Stiles even knew some of the more colorful words and phrases that he'd heard come out of his mouth.

This wasn't to say that Derek couldn't hold his own because he could. They were an even match, those two.

John had ended up spending more than one of his evenings having discussions with both of them about compromise, self control, and not arguing in front of a child. Especially their son. Ian was still too small to really know what was going on, but there was no telling how all the arguing was affecting him. Obviously all of it had gone over their heads.

There was a booming crash followed by a loud wail from Ian and the Sheriff was out of the car in an instant. Enough was enough. He was hurrying up the front steps when the door flew open and a red eyed Derek walked out; brushing past him.

"Hey Derek! Where are you going? What the hell just happened in there?", John asked.  
"Ask your son.", Derek growled.

John grabbed his arm and tried to stop him again but he was too fast; already climbing into his Camaro and speeding down the road, wheels screeching.

* * *

The sight that greeted him inside the house was heartbreaking. Stiles was sitting against the wall holding a screaming Ian with tears streaming down his freckled face. He glanced at the wall and saw a huge hole in it which explained the booming noise. He had no doubt that Derek's fist had gone through it.

"Oh kid.", he sighed, kneeling down in front of his two boys. He rubbed Ian's back soothingly until his cries tapered off into small whimpers. The poor thing was probably scared half to death.

"You want to tell me what that was about?", he asked after a while; frowning.  
"It's Derek. He's an asshole.", Stiles grumbled, shifting Ian to his other side and burying his face in the boy's soft hair for comfort.

The sheriff would have smiled if the situation wasn't so dire. "Well, you knew that when you started dating him.", John quipped giving Stiles a look. Derek had never been the most friendly or sociable person on the planet. "I'm asking what he specifically did today that set you off."

"He's never home!" Stiles blurted out and well, wasn't that easy. John had expected at least a little bit of resistance from Stiles but he should have known better. "He leaves early in the morning and he comes back late at night. I'm here all day alone with Ian and it's like he doesn't even care or try to help. I asked him to change one diaper and he couldn't even do that because he's "studying". He keeps saying I don't know what he's going through, but he has no idea what kind of shit...stuff, I'm dealing with.", he ended with a quick save.

John sighed heavily. He knew where Stiles was coming from. It had to be tough sitting at home all day with a baby while all his friends were off doing teenage things. On the other hand, he also knew how hard Derek was working. The academy wasn't easy, as a lot of law enforcement hopefuls found out after being there for only a few days. The workouts were long and the tests were tricky. He didn't blame Derek for studying hard considering how badly he wanted to succeed. To prove himself.

Nonetheless, there was still no excuse for either of them fighting like they meant nothing at all to each other and going so far as to punch holes in the wall. After all the things he'd been through, John had no doubt that Derek was hurting too, but Stiles and Ian were his first priority.

"I feel like I'm alone. Like I'm doing this parenting thing by myself. I just really miss him. ", Stiles said breaking down into a fresh set of tears and John let him. He sat there letting him get it all out while he mentally gathered his thoughts about what he was going to say.

He carefully took Ian from Stiles and put him in his bouncer where he happily bounced up and down, chewing on a bright yellow plastic sun and babbling in his own little language.

"I know this is rough, but you can't go on like this. You and I both know that.", he said gently and Stiles nodded, dropping his head. "Do you want me to tell Derek that you need a break? That he can't come back here for a while?"

Stiles' eyes widened in horror. "What? Dad you can't just _throw_ Derek out in the street. Where would he go?"

He shrugged. "We'll figure something else out for him if this is what you want. You don't have to make a decision now. Maybe you just need some time apart. I want to make sure that you're okay."  
Stiles shook his head furiously. "Nope, I'm fine. It's all good. I don't want him to go."

John looked at him skeptically. "Really dad, I get what you're saying. Derek and I just need to talk and work it out. This won't happen again, I promise.", he said firmly.

John looked at his son for a long time before relenting. If Stiles was sure that he still wanted to be with Derek and work it out, he wasn't going to stand in their way. But he _was_ going to have a talk with a certain werewolf about his anger management issues. He knew that Derek would never hurt Stiles or the baby, but he was concerned. Derek was a lot stronger than Stiles. He had at least sixty pounds on the kid and supernatural werewolf powers. He could hurt him without even meaning to.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. I'll start dinner.", he said, helping Stiles off the floor.

* * *

When Derek came home, it was already dark outside. It had to be close to midnight. When he left he couldn't even see straight, he was so angry. Angry at Stiles, angry at everything. Now, after having calmed down, he was mostly angry with himself. He knew he shouldn't have let his temper get the best of him like that and what Stiles said was true. He hadn't been there that much lately. He had just gotten so caught up with school that he hadn't noticed he was leaving Stiles and Ian behind in the dust.

The little family he and Stiles had created meant more to him than anything and even the mere thought of losing them made him feel like vomiting. He was a little sore from running in the woods for the better part of three hours. Connecting fully with his wolf made it easier for him to clear his mind and think straight. That's why he was humbly returning back to the Stilinski household to shamelessly beg his boyfriend to take him back and forgive him for being an idiot. he would probably have to beg the Sheriff too no doubt. There was a 70% chance he was already waiting for Derek at the door with a gun in hand.

He could tell from the sound of their heartbeats that Ian was asleep, but the Sheriff and Stiles were still awake.

It wasn't a bullet, but it might as well have been for the look on John's face when he saw Derek creeping in through the door was cold enough to freeze hell over several times. He automatically took a seat on the couch while the Sheriff paced back and forth in front of him.

"I talked to Stiles.", John began.  
Shit, Derek thought to himself.

"I probably should leave this up to him to tell you, but he still loves you and he seems to think you two can fix this."

Derek's head snapped up and looked at John with a hopeful expression.

"For both your sake's, I hope that's true."

"I know you're going through a lot and you look like you feel bad enough without me getting on your case about what happened tonight, but let me make something clear. That's my son and grandson up there.", he said pointing upstairs with a dangerously low tone. "I'm trusting you with them both and if I ever see or hear of anything like this-", he gestured towards the broken wall, "- happening again. I'll shoot you full of wolfsbane myself."

Derek winced and nodded; having received the message loud and clear. The sheriff could be intimidating when he wanted to be and Derek had no doubt that he would fulfill his promise if he upset Stiles again.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry about all of this. I'll pay for the damages to the wall.", he offered.  
"Damn right you will.", the sheriff said in agreement. "We're going to talk more about it later, but it's late and I've had one hell of a day so I'm going to bed. You should too.", he said tiredly.

Derek steeled himself and slowly made his way up the stairs. The closer he got to the room, the more relaxed he felt. His wolf was whimpering in contentment as Stiles's scent grew stronger. He smelled like _milk_ and _pup_ and _family_and _home._

He pushed softly on the door and saw Stiles laying there, curled up around his pillow. Nothing betrayed the fact that he was awake other than the smell of tears in the air and the nervous quickening of his heartbeat when Derek came in.

Derek quietly took off his clothes and climbed in behind him; pulling him close. His nose instinctively buried into Stiles' hair and he inhaled deeply. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like weeks since they'd been close like this. Everything in him was calling out for Stiles. "I already know you're awake. I can hear your heartbeat."

"Damn you and your werewolf senses.", Stiles mumbled; annoyed. "I didn't think you were coming back tonight.", Stiles admitted, his voice thick with hurt. "If you came back at all."

"I'm always going to come back Stiles."  
"Why?", Stiles asks even though he already has a good idea of the answer. Or at least, he's hoping he does.  
"Because this is where my family is. This is where _you are_."

"I'm sorry.", Stiles said softly, looking to Derek for reassurance that things weren't so broken that they couldn't be mended.  
"Me too.", Derek replied sincerely.

After a while, Stiles broke the silence just as Derek was starting to fall asleep. "E's eyes flashed for the first time tonight."  
Derek sat up in surprise. "What?!"

Stiles turned around to face him and nodded. "Yeah, we were trying to get him to calm down and go to sleep, but he was restless. I think he just missed you being here. Anyway, I guess I wasn't getting him his bottle fast enough and his eyes flashed gold. Scared the crap out of my dad.", Stiles said relaying the story with amusement.

Derek puffed up with pride at his little cub's accomplishment and then felt his heart sink. He had missed his son's first real sign of being a wolf all because of a childish, insignificant fight. He should have been there to immediately take Ian outside under the moonlight and read him his ceremonial blessings as a born wolf. Just like his mom had done for every young wolf in their pack. His skin itched to go do it right then and there, but he figured tomorrow night would be just as good.

Besides, Ian was already sleep and it wouldn't do anyone any favors to wake him up in the middle of the night. This way they could also invite the rest of the pack to come show their support. It was a big deal.

Stiles, noticing the change in mood, placed his head on Derek's lap. "_It's okay Sourwolf_. I'm sure it won't be the last time he does it."

"I should have been here."  
"Yeah, you should have.", Stiles agreed." You're missing it Derek. Ian's only going to be this little once. We need you to be here. _I_ need you to be here."

"I won't miss anything else from now on.", he said firmly. "I'll find a way to manage my time better... I just - I don't want to mess this up. I don't want to let you down."  
"You won't.", Stiles assured him, knowing that Derek was a lot more vulnerable on the inside than he seemed. After the fire, he felt like anyone that got close to him would suffer. The fact that he was able to even stop the cycle of self punishment and hatred long enough to open up to Stiles and trust himself to try and be happy again was a miracle.

Derek pulled Stiles' chin up so he could look into his eyes.  
"I love you."  
Stiles gave him a wide grin. "I know. I tend to have that effect on people. Too much awesomeness. You know how it is." Except no, Derek really didn't _know how it was_.

Derek rolled his eyes and fell back on his pillow. "Go to bed Stiles.", he grumbled fondly, lifting his arm so that Stiles could slide into his usual spot on his chest and next to his heart. He knew that everything between them would be okay. They would work it out somehow.

"Der?"  
"Hmmm?", he grunted, half asleep.  
"I love you too." And Derek held him just a little bit tighter. Yeah, they would definitely be okay.

* * *

**End Note: I still can't write fluff but I keep trying. Tell me what you think!  
**


End file.
